Gaming News

The charming and bizarre Bugsnax is getting a big free expansion. The Isle of Bigsnax takes players to a new location teeming with newly discovered, supersized critters. The expansion follows the main crew of Grumpuses to a hidden island inhabited by prehistoric Bugsnax. These tasty creatures are humongous, giving players a jumbo-sized new challenge in terms of catching them. If collecting a slew of new Bugsnax wasn’t enough, you can now put hats on them to somehow make them even more adorable. Back in town, the player’s unfinished hut has finally been completed, which you can decorate with a catalog of furniture, wallpaper, and other objects. Take a look at the trailer for a glimpse of the snax to come.  Click here to watch embedded media The Isle of Bugsnax launches in early 2022, and you’ll need to own a base copy of Bugsnax to play it.  Did you enjoy Bugsnax, and is this expansion enough to make you fire it up again? Let us know in the comments!

Kowloon Knights' upcoming interactive narrative game, We Are OFK has been announced to release on PlayStation consoles next year. On top of that, a new trailer debuted at Sony's State of Play presentation today and the voice cast has been revealed. Click here to watch embedded media We Are OFK follows the making of an indie-pop band over the course of five playable episodes. Each installment in the series will feature interactive music videos, dialog choices, texting, and flirting. Visually, its animations are lively and colorful, which will complement the cast of voice talent well. Here are all of the voices you can look forward to hearing in We Are OFK. Ally Maki (Toy Story 4, Dear White People) Syhaya Aviel (Vinyl, The Circle) Fiona Rene (ABC’s Stumptown, I Know What You Did Last Summer) Teddy Dief (We Are OFK creative director) Deedee Magno Hall (Steven Universe)  Greg Chun (Squid Game, Judgement series) Erika Ishii (Apex Legends, Deathloop) Yuri Lowenthal (Marvel’s Spider-Man, Bugsnax)  Sara Amini (Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, The Twilight Zone) Kimberly D Brooks (Psychonauts 2)  Kaiji Tang (Yakuza: Like a Dragon) Miguel Caballero (Killer 7)  Krizia Bajos (Far Cry 6, Gotham Knights)  According to a press release sent today, "OFK’s debut pop EP will be released alongside the series. The band’s first single Follow/Unfollow, performed at The Game Awards last year, has climbed to half a million listens on streaming platforms and the band has recently signed with record label Sony Music Masterworks for their first pop EP." So, if you like what you've heard from the music in the trailer or OFK's performance from The Game Awards, look forward to having that full EP to listen to outside of the game. Team OFK, the developers behind the game, is comprised of a group of freelancers led by Hyper Light Drifter co-designer Teddy Dief. We Are OFK currently does not have a release date but is said to be targeting sometime in 2022 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC. What do you think of the new trailer? Let us know in the comments!  

Death’s Door is one of the best indies of the year (and games period) but only Xbox and PC players have enjoyed it. That changes next month when the charming action game migrates to PlayStation consoles and Switch. This charming adventure puts you in control of a crow who serves as a soul-reaper for a bureaucratic organization of crows. They govern all things death, but when your assigned soul gets stolen, the adventure pits you at odds against characters who have managed to cheat death for centuries. Gameplay consists of top down action where you cut through waves of challenging enemies and over-the-top bosses using a small arsenal of weapons. Outside of battle, you’ll explore dungeons across varied biomes connected by a secret-laden overworld. I scored Death's Door a 9 out of 10 review and wrote that it “marries fine-tuned hack n' slash action with a cool world ripe with secrets to unravel. The result is an entertaining, densely-packed trip to the other side.” Click here to watch embedded media Look for Death’s Door to hit PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch on November 23. As a cool bonus, those who pre-order get Titan Souls, developer Acid Nerve’s previous title, for free. For more on Death’s Door, check out our Afterwords interview with the game’s creators at Acid Nerve.

At today’s PlayStation showcase, viewers were treated to an unexpected event – a new Star Ocean game! Wow. It’s been a while since we’ve seen one of these, huh? This one seems to have it all. Floating. Swords. Cool anime stuff. Go tri-Ace! You can check out the entire trailer below! Click here to watch embedded media Swords and sci-fi in my epic space RPG? Yes. Star Ocean is definitely one of my more beloved legacy RPG franchises, but we have to go all the way back to Star Ocean The Second Story on the PlayStation for the best of it. Whether or not a new title can give a bit of zest to the franchise now remains to be seen, but I’m always hoping that something will come along and bring us back to Star Ocean glory.  Outside of the Tales games, nothing conjures up that heartwarming combat quip spam. Star Ocean The Divine Force is slated to land on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. Hopefully, it comes to other platforms too! The release date is a broad 2022, so we’ll see how things develop as we head into the new year.

Click here to watch embedded media Today's PlayStation State of Play showcase ended with Neostream Interactive's quirky action-adventure game Little Devil Inside. You can watch the new trailer above. Set in a somewhat Victorian world, you'll set off into the wilderness on research assignments at the behest of a university professor. Though, the critters and beasts of Little Devil Inside are more extraordinary than those in the real world, many of which are supernatural. In the new footage, we were treated with a view of what it's like to set out on one of these journeys, complete with a narrated train ride and traveling around the world map. You'll talk with residents and roam around towns to find more information on your mission. Billy, the name given by the narrator, encounters all kinds of dangers like an octopus-infested indoor pool and a mechanical contraption that chases him through a tunnel. To survive in the wild, Billy will have to fish, cook, and struggle through blizzards.  Little Devil Inside was the indie standout from last year's PlayStation Future of Games' stream, but its history goes back quite a bit further. Neostream originally pitched Little Devil Inside as a Kickstarter project, successfully bringing in over $230,000 to fund the game, including a stretch goal to release on Wii U. Obviously, years have passed since then, and there was still no release date given today.  Little Devil Inside is being developed for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. What do you think of the new Little Devil Inside footage? Are you itching to survive its world and battle the monsters, uh, inside? Let us know in the comments below!

Click to watch embedded media PlayStation has revealed GungHo Online Entertainment's arena-based melee brawler Deathverse: Let It Die for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.  Not many details were announced about the game, but the trailer showed a lot. Set in the same world as 2016's Let It Die, the trailer begins with someone who appears to be the host of the Deathverse competition, which is something aired on in-universe television.  Deathverse seems to feature multiple characters, each with unique abilities and weapons that will be used to take down opposing players and NPC enemies. There's also weapon customization, which allows players to try a weapon, customize it after a battle, and return to the arena to try it out once more.  In terms of abilities, we see some players using a Tommy gun-like weapon to call bullets down from above, and we also see some damage-defying shields and bubbles. Some enemies use swords fit for a samurai, while others use weapons that look more at home in a Saw movie.  "Players take the stage in the world's most popular survival reality TV show, set hundreds of years after the events of Let It Die," a press release about it reads. "Armed with a robotic combat tool equipped with many deadly features, each player can use a variety of weapons, protective shields, and skills to create a character who can outlive the competition. They'll also have to fend off monsters and assassins to stay alive in this gloriously gory arena."  Throughout the entire trailer, we see a regal-looking character dancing to some poppy music. Perhaps she's involved with the actual live-air competition, or maybe she's one of the fighters that can be used in-game.  If one thing is clear, it's that the number one goal of anyone in the arena is to survive. It doesn't appear to be a battle royale, but rather something more akin to an arena-based melee deathmatch.  The survival battle arena game hits PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in Spring of 2022. Will you be checking out Deathverse: Let It Die when it hits PlayStation consoles next Spring? Let us know in the comments below!

Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Frontline earlier this month, a massive PvP shooter, leading many to believe that Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint had reached its end, but it seems there’s still some ammo left in Breakpoint’s magazine.  That ammo is called Operation Motherland, and it’s basically a brand new campaign for Breakpoint coming out November 2. Set a few months after the end of the original story, Nomad is no longer on Auroa but now the island has become a strategic target for multiple countries interested in making it their own.  Click here to watch embedded media “The CIA aims to ease global tensions by giving the power on the island to a neutral force – Ito and the Outcasts – turning Auroa into an autonomous country,” Ubisoft’s blog post about the new campaign reads. “This operation, led by Karen Bowman, is called Motherland.” At the heart of Motherland is the new Conquest mode. Described as an alternative to Breakpoint’s story mode, Conquest has an emphasis on player actions and the subsequent consequences on Auroa. There will be a variety of missions to choose from that include objectives like destroying things, securing enemy camps, stealing vehicles, taking out one of the four Bodark lieutenants, and more. The further players progress through Motherland, the more free Auroa will be of the Bodarks.   Speaking of the Bodarks, Ubisoft says, “they are ruthless infiltrators and manipulators, allied to Sentinel and Wolves,” and that five enemy archetypes will be present in both enemy encampments and the wilds of Auroa.  Tactician enemies will call for backup unless eliminated quickly  The armored Oppressors will rush players down Dreadnoughts will use rocket launchers Seekers will use rifles and optical camouflage Troopers will serve as the bulk of the Bodark forces “Each type of Bodark enemy will have equipment that changes based on the highland, urban, and wild biomes,” the blog post reads. “Players will notice new Russian weapons and vehicle skins on the Bodark faction. Players will also be able to get kitted out with new items in Maria’s Shop, including a Mixed Materials Ghillie Outfit, so their own options will increase along with the Bodarks’.”  To coincide with Motherland, Auroa will undergo some atmospheric changes. More specifically, it will be divided into five different zones, with an overall autumn and winter feel. Cloudiness, rain, fog conditions, and sunniness will be more varied around the island, too, according to Ubisoft. New insects, fumes, grasses, and bird flight patterns have been added as well.  With the return of Conquest comes the return of Faction Warfare, which will see Outcast presence reflect the actions of players.  “As players conquer Auroa, the Outcast presence will increase in the wild and in encampments, making faction warfare more frequent,” the blog post says. “You’ll notice road checkpoints, convoys, hostage situations, and patrols fill the island based on faction presence. These events will vary in difficultly according to their respective regions – be sure to check your TacMap to find more details on each region’s challenges.” Motherland will bring Optical Camo into the game alongside its new progression system. The Optical Camo functions with a gauge system that starts at 100 and decreases over time (and based on actions made by the player). This camo allows you to be invisible to enemies and it can be upgraded to last longer and remain efficient over further differences.  The maximum XP level has been increased to 99 to account for the extra content being added to Breakpoint. Skill points can now be used to increase weapon mastery and focus on a preferred playstyle, too.  Motherland launched on November 2.  While waiting for Motherland to release, check out our thoughts on the base game in Game Informer’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint review and then read about this Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary x Breakpoint crossover. Check out this story about how A.I. teammates were added to Breakpoint last year after that. Will you be jumping into Operation Motherland? Let us know in the comments below!

A colossal player in the realm of music is making its app debut on PlayStation 5 today. You may have heard of it. It’s a little service called Apple Music.  Announced on the PlayStation Blog today, the release of Apple Music on the PS5 makes Sony’s flagship gaming device the very first console “to introduce an integrated Apple Music experience.” You’re not limited to just the collection of music you’ve purchased over the years. The app features all of Apple Music's music curation, playlists, and radio stations, but sadly doesn't include podcasts. Here’s what users can expect from the Apple Music app: “Starting today, PS5 users with an Apple Music subscription can enjoy more than 90 million songs from Apple Music, tens of thousands of curated playlists, music videos in 4K, Apple Music Radio streaming today’s hits, classics, and country live, and personalized playlists based on your music preferences.” All of the music can be listened to in the background while playing games, so if you want to turn a game’s music down and make your own playlist, in a way, you can. Or by finding the Music Function card on the PS5 Control Center, Apple Music subscribers can “find recommendations that match the game they are currently playing, or choose from a playlist in their library or other Apple Music-curated playlists for gaming.”  Maybe the most impressive tech, but firmly in the “I don’t know when I’ll ever do this” basket, is seamless music video playback. This feature lets you watch music videos in the Apple Music app and seamlessly switch over to having that same music running in the background of a game. The impressive part is that it works the other way around by going from background listening to watching the music video, picking up exactly where you’re at in the song. If you’re an Apple Music subscriber and happen to own a PlayStation 5, the app is out now to download and listen to music to your heart’s content. If not, there's still the Spotify app to fall back on.

Back 4 Blood appears to be a success for Turtle Rock Studios, as over 6 million people have played it since its launch on October 12.  Developed by some developers that created the Left 4 Dead franchise that Back 4 Blood is very clearly inspired by, it tasks players with cleaning up the Ridden, which are basically zombies. There are all different sorts of Ridden to take out across its multiple acts. It seems many people are enjoying being a part of the Ridden cleanup crew, too. Thanks for all your hard work, Cleaners! With this many Cleaners on our side, we'll stop the Ridden in no time. Thanks for all your hard work, Cleaners! With this many Cleaners on our side, we'll stop the Ridden in no time. #Back4Blood pic.twitter.com/quA8A4hWNo — Back 4 Blood (@back4blood) October 26, 2021 Something tells us the Ridden will never stop, but that's ok because that means more Ridden for us to kill in-game. Turtle Rock is likely thrilled with the news of 6 million players, especially considering its 2015 game, Evolve, had its servers shut down in just three years. Take into account that Evolve had roughly 234 peak concurrent users on PC before it went free-to-play in 2016 (that led to 1 million playing the asynchronous multiplayer title), and Back 4 Blood screams success. Back 4 Blood's 6 million players achievement is likely connected to its Xbox Game Pass release. For basically $10, anyone with an Xbox console could jump into it.  For more about Back 4 Blood, check out our thoughts on it in Game Informer's Back 4 Blood review and then listen or watch us chat even more about it in Episode 573 of The Game Informer Show. Are you one of the 6 million that have played Back 4 Blood? Let us know in the comments below what you think of it!

Shoji Meguro’s eclectic soundscapes are synonymous with the Persona brand: a stimulating mix of jazz, funk, pop, hip-hop, etc. According to an NME report, Meguro is entering the next stage of his musical career after working on Atlus’ dev team since the mid-90s. The legendary Persona composer has resigned and will pursue his long-time dream of developing indie games instead.  インディーゲーム作家に俺はなる！ ということで（株）アトラスを退社してインディーゲーム作家の道に進むことになりました！ とは言え（株）アトラスとは今後も良好な関係を続けていきます。 今後とも目黒将司とともにアトラスサウンドチームにもご期待ください。 詳しくはhttps://t.co/0RpRn3n5Td pic.twitter.com/iaiPEQSMIp — 目黒将司(Shoji Meguro)@MegaRock (@s_megarock) October 27, 2021 Don’t worry. Meguro isn’t just abandoning our favorite JRPG franchises. He’ll be contributing to future titles (possibly Persona 6?) as a freelancer. You can see the original Twitter announcement above. He also elaborates on his decision in a subtitled video that you can watch below. Click here to watch embedded media Meguro states that he left Atlus at the end of September and created other games on the side for the past five years. After applying to the Kodansha Game Creators Lab, he was selected as a finalist and monetarily rewarded. This helped spark his decision to go indie.  “Atlus Co., Ltd. accepted my dream, or rather my selfishness,” Meguro states in the Kodansha video. “We have agreed to continue to develop and create music together. There will be more games and music in the future so stay tuned. Also, the game I am [now] working on will be announced on the 6th of November 2021 at the Indie Live Expo.” Under the moniker of MegaRock, Meguro has shown some prototype footage of the game he’s been working on. You can check out the third-person shooter in the following Twitter post. プライマリ⇔セカンダリのウェポンチェンジ実装したー。 pic.twitter.com/Ot9vNnYv8H — 目黒将司(Shoji Meguro)@MegaRock (@s_megarock) August 17, 2021 This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Persona series. Atlus promised several reveal streams, with the first one targeting its Japanese audience. The following showcase in December, however, might have some exciting surprises in store.  What are your favorite Shoji Meguro songs? [Source: NME] 

Pixar has launched the first teaser trailer for its Toy Story spin-off, Lightyear. The film stars everyone’s favorite space ranger, but with a twist. This isn’t the same Buzz Lightyear that Tim Allen brought to life over the four mainline Toy Story films. Rather, Lightyear tells the origin story of the “real” Buzz. As in the in-universe character that the action figure is based on. Since this is a different Buzz, he’s voiced by a new actor: Captain America himself, Chris Evans. The beautiful trailer establishes a more serious tone but it still packs plenty of lighthearted moments. Pixar is basically making its own sci-fi epic using one of its most beloved characters. Lightyear will premiere in theaters next summer. Click here to watch embedded media What do you think of Lightyear's premise and direction? Are you excited to see Chris Evans take on the role of Buzz? Let us know in the comments! 

Click here to watch embedded media Many of Clash Royale's players reached level cap years ago and maxed out all of the cards along the way. In the last two years, the game hasn't offered much of a path forward for people that play every day. The seasonal tiers offer new tower skins and emotes, but the main hooks of the experience haven't expanded. That changes today. Clash Royale's latest update raises the level cap for both the player and all of the cards to level 14. Developer Supercell also added three new cards to the mix, and they all offer up a unique gameplay aspect. These cards are called Champions, the first characters in the game that are somewhat controllable. You can't tell the Champions where to go and don't use their weapons to attack, but you control when they use their abilities. All you have to do is tap a new button that appears on the screen. Once pressed, the Champion does as you command. The three Champions are the sizable Skeleton King who summons a skeletal army as he marches forward, the Golden Knight who dashes forward and can smash enemies like a bowling ball, and the Archer Queen who can cloak herself when an enemy draws near. Getting three cards at once is a massive win for Clash Royale players, as they open up the game to new ideas and give players a reason to collect again. I play Clash Royale every day, and it feels great having new things to do. I am currently plotting out which of my cards will reach level 14 first. It's nice to see Supercell continuing to support this game in meaningful ways. The new card type will hopefully lead to a more frequent cadence of new card drops. The Clan Wars still need a lot of work, however. Here's hoping that's the next aspect that gets overhauled. Sidenote: If you want to join my Clash Royale clan, we're looking for players. Email me at reiner@gameinformer.com with the subject line CLASH ROYALE, and I'll see if I can get you in.